START SAVING ON CAR INSURANCE BILLS TODAY

Men are more likely to have more points than women, but the person with the most points has been clocked up by a 44-year-old woman in Oxfordshire.

She has 51 points!

The highest proportion of drivers with 12 or more points are in the north of England.

So, if you've been slapped with points on your driving licence, what does it mean when it comes to renewing your insurance.

Points mean one thing to insurance companies – more risk. If you've clocked up points, they see you as a driver who is more likely to cost them money by claiming on your insurance, so they'll tend to charge you more for insurance.

How do driving licence points work?

Points on a driving licence are handed out for motoring offences. The number of points you'll get will vary according to the severity of your offence.

But, for a typical speeding offence, you can expect a fine and three points. It's those three points that can cost when it comes to car insurance renewal time.

If you are stopped for drink driving or a drink-drive-related offence you can receive three to 11 points and, although a ban is not mandatory, you will almost certainly be banned from driving for at least 12 months.

A full list of points for different driving offences can be found here.

How long will the points last?

The length of time points stay on your licence depends on the offence and can vary from a minimum of four years for, say, a three-point speeding offence, to 11 years for a drink or drugs related one.

Points on your licence matter because if you do accumulate 12 or more within three years you will usually face a ban.

The more you have, the more you’re almost certainly going to have to pay for your insurance.

How will my insurance premium be affected?

Penalty points can have a big affect on your car insurance.

One of the purposes of imposing points is to punish offenders by causing them to have to pay more for insurance.

Those drivers with points are statistically more likely to be involved in an insurance claim and so insurers deem them higher risk and will price a premium accordingly.

How much more you have to pay will depend on a number of factors.

These include:

* The seriousness of the offence and the number of points* Your age* Your driving history* The insurance company’s policy* The type of car you drive

A single speeding offence, although attracting only three points, could actually cause a bigger leap in premium than an offence for which you get more points as the insurer may consider that a speeder is a bigger overall risk.

Bear in mind that the increased premium will keep being added for as long as you have those points on your licence, so it’s not just a one off.

So, how much more you will pay is going to vary greatly.

But the Institute of Advanced Motorists carried out research two years to arrive at some averages.

Up to three points = 5% increase

Four to six points = 26% increase

Seven to nine points = 45%

Nine to 11 = 82% increase

12-plus = 89% increase.

If you’re disqualified, your premium could be double of even considerably more than that.

But these are averages and so there will be huge variation according to the factors mentioned above.

A Spokesman Said Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under firm reference number 762386. You can check this on the Financial Services Register by visiting the FCA website.